Tom Kassel - 04:52am Jan 29, 2001 PST (#4640 of 4640)
Playing PoG and La Grande Guerre. From the sublime to the ridiculous,
but which is which?
I saw the Ragnar Brothers' Angola at Leisure Games and remembering Nick
Barker and others enthusing I picked it up. I'm very impressed. It's
early (1988) DTP quality but the only serious downside is thin cardstock
on the (cut out yourself) counters. The 17x22 inch area map is sturdy,
clear and attractive (enough). A few areas are a little small when
stragglers must be detached to form a second stack, but this is a minor
problem.
The game is brimming with clean, clever and sensible mechanics. I had a
solitaire run through yesterday, finishing 5 turns (maximum 10) with
Cabinda falling to the FNLA and a likely FNLA/UNITA victory in prospect.
It's intended as a four-player game with FNLA/UNITA teamed up against
MPLA/FAPLA (a slightly artificial construct intended to introduce some
difficulties of coordination). Pairs of factions can be handled by the
same player when four aren't available.
The central mechanic is a WtP/PoG-like action deck and alternating
action rounds. The big difference is that each players selects the
action cards to be used each turn AND the order in which they are used.
The number of action rounds starts at 4 per turn, gradually increasing
to 7. Action cards might be: Column x (corresponding to column x on the
map) - move that column and possibly attack Command - move a column
marker on the map or swap two column markers 5th Column - move one force
NOT marked with a column marker Blank - do nothing. Must always be
included in the deck. Lucky Unita gets two of these, while MPLA & FAPLA
get one each, and FNLA has none at all
The cards available are increased on turns 3,4,5 to increase options.
Initially each faction gets two copies of Column A (so both could be
selected allowing two move/attacks with that force), while lowly Columns
D & E cards don't even appear until later, though you are still obliged
to assign the markers to some force on the map.
Play begins slowly with just weak infantry and the occasional armoured
car. Chaotically as well. A few controlled regions are fixed, but 18
other towns/cities are randomly allocated and another 5 remain neutral.
As each alliance loses turns (political tokens are won/lost as
towns/cities change hands - lose more than you gain and you lose the
turn with the differential reducing the opponents' threshold for
victory), powerful units from SA, Cuba or Zaire arrive, while both sides
acquire randomly assigned assistance in the form of engineers,
mercenaries, air groups, AA or AT missiles, or friendly (and useless)
telegrams from the Bulgarians. No free lunches though. Bid for too much
aid and you might hand the opposition a propaganda victory which lowers
their decisive victory threshold.
I'm looking forward to a competitive game - any chance while on
gardening leave, Nick?